The Power of Gods: A Wonder Woman Fanfiction Story
Episode 10:
In Aresia's magic bubble…
Spirit flame Hercules remains trapped, in the distorted bright colors of the magic bubble itself. The shadow bed has the shadow of Aresia's big cat Nemesis, just looking for a chance to pounce at him. Magically popping in is used to be long dark brown haired spirit flame Guinevere, alongside spirit flame Hercules. He turns to her, "your spirit flames are still giving off sparks from the last two bursts: Why you ever chose Tartarus over the Elysian Fields is beyond me."
Spirit flame Guinevere moderately sighs, "because despite being driven by Hera to destroy your own kingdom, I chose to be with you! Sometimes I wonder why myself." Spirit flame Hercules starts arguing, "look, I…! Hard sigh."
He pauses, then says further, "I'm sorry, Guinevere: That's not what I meant. I just worry for your spirit." Among the magic bubble's dancing lights, the spirit flames briefly merge as a flash of light.
Spirit flame Guinevere figures, "I'm sorry too, Art… I mean, Hercules. How is Wonder Woman's modern kingdom holding up?" Spirit flame Hercules sighs, "see for yourself." The dancing lights start turning into a magic mirror, showing Cyrene run jumping through Bialya with two water filled yellow air tanks on her back. That same day, she had escaped from Bialya. The magic bubble's images change to show shadow windows, spinning faster and faster in a circle.
Within the shadow window images…
The shadows become a 3D outline of a old fashioned door. It opens up to swirling circles of bright colors bouncing off of one another. The colors go off, with strangely appearing Pac-Man like mouths. And as they go, a song plays, "so did you hear, hear, hear what he said she said? The Cat is, is, is in the Madness… And the Madness is, is, is happy to see you…" Just to add to the madness, shadow cats and shadow dragons start randomly appearing from color circle to color circle.
Sounding highly cheerful, the song continues, "you, you, you won't work out the Madness… Because, because, because it's not meant to… Work, work, work on and on and on… So just for, for, for thirty minutes or less… Pull up a chair and forget, forget, forget your life… You won't want to miss, miss, miss a minute of happy Madness with me…"
At the mention of a chair, shadow chairs start grabbing the color circles like claw machines. Behind some of the many vanishing color circles are gold letters. The song finishes, "you, you, you won't work out the Madness… Because, because, because it's not meant to… Work, work, work on and on and on… So did you hear, hear, hear what he said she said? The Madness of Gossip is, is, is starting... In a few more seconds, seconds, seconds…" The title's letters vibrate, unscrambling in spinning rainbow flashes to spell out The Cat Grant Gossip.
Right below is the side title, "Today's Epi-Sody Babble: Ner-Diver." The C turns into a big Pac-Man like mouth, eating away most of the letters while the screen changes behind it.
A open dark blue studio set has a seated live audience. On the studio set itself is Cat Grant. She is behind a silver diner styled counter, wearing a mirror like reflective disco patterned dress and matching bracelets. Behind Cat is a black flat computer screen in a dark brown picture frame, wired to a unseen computer. To live cheers, Cat encourages, "welcome, fellow volunteers: Keep looking at the glassiness, if you dare." With laughter joined by the audience, Cat introduces, "I'm Cat Grant, with gossip and nothing but the gossip. Our first diving lesson for today has the latest in hi-techy swimwear: From LexCorp and Chimtech."
The picture frame screen shows two dark blue rimmed booth sized tubes. One has a dark blue rimmed gray hi-tech helmet, called the Laser System Helmet. The other has a stone gray rip-off helmet with a crystal red visor, called the VisionLink Helmet. Some slight chuckles echo from the crowd. Cat adds, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going with the diving mask that can't see me." The VisionLink Helmet's visor glows with two red robot like eyes, as the studio lights briefly flash red. Mostly good spirited claps and gasps fill the room.
Synchronously, in some New York testing areas…
In the first dark gray testing room are five well paid nationwide police officer volunteers, each standing in one spot with a Laser System Helmet on. They fire their helmets's light purple lasers into pale gray moving silhouette cardboard targets, on the other side of the gym sized room.
The second dark gray testing room with security cameras has inside three shady looking figures from off the streets. They're doing the same tests, with the VisionLink Helmets's computer link capability linking them to the security cameras and the helmets's light red lasers. That is, until one of the figures got smart enough to just punch the two other figures away and steal their helmets on his way out the door. He laughs to himself, "suckers."
Not long after, back on The Cat Grant Gossip…
The picture frame screen is black. Now in a Greek dark blue silk shirt and matching jeans, Cat slightly chuckles, "everyone can still see me through the water? Good." Some slight chuckles echo from the crowd. Cat starts to go on, "our second divin…" Suddenly, a teary eyed Artemis appears on the set. Before anyone else can say anything, she inquires impulsively, "you're a reporter, yes?" With slight laughter joined by her audience, Cat figures, "in a sense."
She gets up to walk to Artemis. Artemis just stands there blankly for a bit. With laughter from the crowd, she inquires, "you're a reporter, yes?" The laughter goes unnoticed by Artemis. Now in front of her, Cat concludes, "sure: Why not?" Aphrodite appears nearby. Artemis laughs wildly, "goodie! I have a story that'll get Poseidon jumping in a volcano." At the same time, she has goddess fireballs appear so she can juggle them. The crowd cheers, thinking it's part of the show. In concern, Cat wonders, "you sure she kn…?"
Aphrodite insists cheerily, "oh, that's no problem: Not with her favorite god-sister around to help clean up." In seconds, Artemis throws all the fireballs into her mouth with ease. She burps goddess fire sparks. What most everyone fails to notice during all this is the studio lights flickering.
Synchronously, behind the show's studio…
Old fashioned pale brown apartment buildings and the fewer skyscrapers in comparison stand over the red bannered mostly white Galaxy Broadcasting TV station. Between the buildings making up Garden City in Kansas, there are patches of dark green grass. Beyond Garden City, there are miles of farmland as far as the eye can see. But what is about to fire at the studio is beyond anything most any United States city could prepare for. Poseidon has recently drawn water from massive storm clouds above to charge up his dark yellow god trident.
He barely gets a lightning blast to hit the studio's circuit breakers. In seconds, Steve has his fighter jet use Wonder Woman's hanging golden lasso like a lightning rod. He slightly chuckles over comlink, "he's all yours, Diana." Wonder Woman over comlink adds, "copy that, Steve."
On the road below, several Atlanteans with Poseidon clash with several United States fighters in spirit energy tentacles and light gun pointers. Poseidon's lightning blasts are being attracted to the golden lasso instead of the studio. He shouts out, "can't a god get his Olympian Muse to torture in peace?!" Wonder Woman from her auto-piloted invisible jet has just jumped down at Poseidon. She in midair flip kicks off of him, sending him crashing through the road. As Wonder Woman lands on sidewalk, she remarks, "wake up, Poseidon: This is 2013." Poseidon lands into the sewers below, a little god shaken.
Back on the Cat Grant Gossip…
Cat moderately sighs, "all right: If you say so. Just come back when I have the outfit for it."
Aphrodite figures, "sure thing. Come on, Artemis: You can get some Ambrosia in my Olympian cave." Artemis laughs wildly, "ooh: Ambrosia!" She and Aphrodite vanish, to Cat's mixed relief. The crowd is applauding. Cat returns to the counter. Over near disbelief at the two goddesses, she slightly chuckles, "oh, they'll be back. Now, where was…? Oh yes. Our second diving lesson is at The Cave pool: Previously supervised by The Astraea. Former lifeguard Zeus has shut down The Cave hotel, just because he wasn't happy swimming and wants to be a pool party pooper about it. The anti-Zeusians are splashing back, but…"
The picture frame screen shows The Astraea in spirit energy self matching Greek robes: One is named Clotho in bright pink, representative of beginnings. The second is named Lachesis in dark blue, representative of middles. And the last is named Atropos in dark red, representative of endings. The Astraea is shown in clouds, looking down at most of inland Greece and its many islands. Shadow wizards and Zeus are seen in battle against Apollo and the shadow wizard resistance…but with green water guns. The crowd can't help but look at the image in hard laughter. Cat finishes the thought, "…who needs resistance when Zeus and Apollo can just play Tidal Wave Tag?" More laughter follows.
Synchronously, across Greece…
The shadow wizard resistance clashes with the shadow wizards's forces, both slashing spirit energy blades at row after row of the other side. Zeus and Hades god blast island after island for resistance fighters with lightning and giant missiles, destroying them. That is, until Apollo and Hermes appear in god minutes with god baseball bats to whack several more god missiles back at Zeus and Hades.
Finding it a bit hard to god restore themselves as a result, Zeus and Hades charge for Apollo and Hermes. Hermes slightly chuckles, "think it's time to turn off the dark." He god transforms his bat into a wooden stage around Hades, complete with red curtains and a backstage light switch. Hermes swiftly closes the curtains and turns off the stage lights.
Hades, kind of caught off guard, is knocked unconscious by Hermes. The stage vanishes, showing Hades now lying on the ground. With Ravin battling a shadow wizard nearby, he slightly sighs, "if it wasn't a Broadway joke, I'd be congratulating you." Hermes mutters back, "who asked you?"
Meanwhile, in the Garden City area…
Steve's fighter jet hovers over, preparing to get the golden lasso around Poseidon. Wonder Woman has just gone after Poseidon, but he has self god transformed to blend in the sewer water. He lightning blasts Wonder Woman from the sewer water, nearly destroying her. All of her cape's spirit energy restoration charges spark off, covering her in spirit energy. Most of the United States fighters laser fast fire the Atlanteans into water puddles. The remaining two Atlanteans dive into the broken open sewer pipe to escape. A mostly restored Wonder Woman runs for a turn in the sewer pipes, struggling to catch her breath.
Poseidon darkly appears in that turn, "nowhere to run, mortal hybrid." Wonder Woman mutters harshly, "nor for you." She slashes some sewer piping with her spirit energy blade, making a entire road section cave in over Poseidon. He cries out, "you're going to wish you did!" As he vanishes, a tidal wave of sewer water floods the sewer pipe. Wonder Woman mutters to herself, "damnit!"
Not long after, back on The Cat Grant Gossip…
The laughter has calmed down a little. Now in a dark green bathrobe, Cat figures, "yeah…slight sigh…that may not be a good place for a vacation quite yet." Quite some laughter echoes from the crowd. Cat goes on, "which brings us to our final lesson for the big dive: SYSTEMatic Blast, Gotham's only water blaster supplier, has recently selected four water testers to be target practice for lots of money. A few days later, SYSTEMatic Blast is reselecting two water testers…because two of them disappeared in the night."
The picture frame screen shows a midway booth labeled Night of the Crocurtle, with mannequins as water blaster targets. They have dark green and white striped bullseyes in the center, but two are overshadowed by two shadows of upright crocodiles in fitting turtle shells. The dark green rimmed jet black water blasters on the midway booth counter are each labeled SYSTEMatic Blast. Cat slightly chuckles, "guess it takes a special person to want to get soaked over and over, even for that much green." Mostly laughter fills the studio.
Synchronously, not very far from Gotham City…
From Gotham's mostly dark red and orange construction site styled harbor, a giant grey space capsule shaped dome can be seen overseas. The other side turns out to be under construction, by two jet black mechas powered with very cold light blue coolant tubes called SYSTEMatics. They're each the size of a blimp, piloted by the thoughts of two certain unconscious cybernetic interfaced beta testers.
On the dome with the SYSTEMatics is a shadily pale frontless white haired man, in a mostly jet black and dark blue astronaut like suit. He used to be called Grant Walker, a business manager of famous theme parks. Now mad for power, he calls himself Mr. Freeze after the original retired evil scientist Mr. Freeze.
Businessman Mr. Freeze urges coldly, "keep moving, arcade geeks: I want Oceania II up and running by…!" Suddenly, in a mostly dark grey battlesuit and his signature black cape, Batman appears behind him. Batman's robotically muscled battlesuit has bright yellow Bat Signal symbols on its shoulders, upper plating, hand palms, and knees: All with built in pouch sized gadgets.
Batman mutters harshly, "wish I could say the same for your corporate mind, Grant." Businessman Mr. Freeze turns to him, "Batman." He slightly laughs, "it's been too long." Batman adds, "yes: It has." Simultaneously coming out from his battlesuit's upper plating, a batarang shaped jamming signal glows dark red. In seconds, the SYSTEMatics overload in bright blue sparks. And in the sparks, Businessman Mr. Freeze and Batman charge in a fury of fists.
Meanwhile, in the Garden City area…
Wonder Woman gets out through the open sewer pipe, the sewer water whooshing by in mere seconds. She stops to take a breather, briefly bent over the road. Over comlink, Steve inquires worriedly, "Diana?!"
He pauses briefly, then inquires, "can you hear…?" A small black microphone is under Wonder Woman's cape, hidden from plain sight. She slowly walks towards her invisible jet, parked up on a apartment building roof. With the remaining United States fighters gone, she talks freely by way of microphone, "right here, Steve. But Poseidon escaped: Again." Steve reels in the golden lasso. He slightly sighs, "sometimes comes with the uniform."
Four mortal minutes later, back on The Cat Grant Gossip…
Still in her dark green bathrobe, Cat sits in a dark red Hollywood styled chair opposite of Artemis and Aphrodite. They're also in dark red Hollywood styled chairs, although Artemis's chair has some Ambrosia stains. Seconds later, Aphrodite makes the stains vanish. Cat has only started her interview, but a lot has been said. It seems that Artemis is accused of kidnapping Amphitrite. And not just by Poseidon, but also by Zeus, Hestia, and Hera. This is because Cyrene, one of Artemis's special game seekers, recently snuck Amphitrite through Bialya for a god or goddess. Yet, Artemis hasn't officially been found to be responsible.
Cat moderately sighs, "I'm starting to get the feeling you used to be a lifeguard at The Cave too."
Artemis laughs wildly, "which one? My island in the Bermuda Triangle has three of those." The crowd's laughter echoes. Joined by more laughter, Cat lowly says, "whichever one you want, but how about letting me do the jokes now?" Artemis starts glaring, "you think I'm j…?!" Surprisingly, Aphrodite whispers harshly, "for your sake, maybe I should answer the questions for you."
Artemis, in a angry roar, makes a big tree appear so she can whack Aphrodite through the studio set with it. Artemis glares at the crowd, goddess transforming most of them into angry Lapith. Some are upright alligators in pale yellow scales, some are upright cheetahs with polar bear fur, and some are other Lapith altogether. The remaining crowd runs for the emergency exits, but the physically faster Lapith get there first to block the ways out.
In god minutes…
Apollo uses a pair of glowing bright yellow god scissors to cut the wires to the cameras, making them explode from electric sparks. The episode going wrong is off the air. And in a god minute, Apollo quickly has Cat vanish from Artemis's range. He mutters to himself, "not much...!" Then, Aphrodite appears upright. But, she goddess transforms back into a slightly laughing Aresia.
And Apollo has just noticed the real Aphrodite, lying unconscious backstage where the fake Aphrodite was expected to land. Aresia darkly adds, "…time, for any man." She simultaneously blasts Apollo with two goddess fireballs, sending him to unconsciousness before he can see it coming.
Around this time, over the nearby road in mortal minutes…
Steve checks, "where are you now? I can't see you from here." Wonder Woman partly assures, "heading up a fire escape to get to my invisible jet." Steve slightly chuckles, "that high up, huh?" A jet black fence styled fire escape on the side of a apartment building has Wonder Woman climbing it, somewhat exhausted. Steve pilots his fighter jet for the same apartment building's roof. Still breathing hard, Wonder Woman mutters, "right now, I wouldn't recommend it."
Steve tries to assure, "maybe we can at least catch a episod..." A explosion goes off from the Galaxy Broadcasting TV station. Wonder Woman pauses, muttering irritatedly, "if I walk down these stairs…!" Steve quickly points out, "I'm on the roof now: I can give you a lift." Wonder Woman starts to say, "thanks, but I'm not sure you can just install…" Slightly chuckling, Steve insists, "just a expression, Diana: Trust me." Wonder Woman goes on, already a floor away from the roof. And on the roof, Steve has his fighter jet's door open for her.
Back in the magic bubble…
Flashes of dancing lights show Steve's fighter jet firing two missiles into the backside of the TV studio, making a backdoor for the remaining crowd. And for added effect, Wonder Woman jumps down to fight off the new Lapith hand to hand. Aresia offers her hand to a teary eyed Artemis backstage, who impulsively hugs her. Aresia, Artemis, and most of her new Lapith vanish.
When Apollo regains consciousness, Wonder Woman inquires seriously, "what did you do?" She had also figured out the real Aphrodite was unconscious before Artemis got mad. Apollo sighs hard, "I…saw a vision of Artemis joining Aresia. But, it may have been another goddess…or even Chaos. I only framed Artemis to get her to turn to Aphrodite…to keep herself happy and against Aresia. But Aresia took Aphrodite's place, and turned that chance against us all."
Spirit flame Guinevere gasps, "by the gods." Spirit flame Hercules mutters, "can't live with them, can't live without them."
With spirit flame Guinevere glaring at him, spirit flame Hercules sighs heavily, "oh, you know what I mean: Aresia and the Olympian Gods may very well destroy each other soon, along with every kingdom they watch over."